A healthy food package in South Africa is only healthy if it contains delicious, fresh Rugani carrot juice. The popularity of this unique value addition has shown astronomical growth since Vincent Sequeira and Vito Rugani from Greenway Farms at Tarlton decided that not a single carrot from any of their fields should be wasted, even the ones that are not straight or pretty enough for packaging and export.
After much research and a study visit to an expert in Italy, the process of extracting goodness in juice form from carrots was developed. This is where the success story of Rugani carrot juice began. But where and how do the carrots themselves begin?
Everything starts with a team of bright red tractors.
Valtra is a global brand of AGCO. Rugani’s tractors are all Valtras, distributed in South Africa by Valtrac. The Valtras do all the tractor work for Greenway Farms. They take care of all tillage, deep and shallow, planting in cultivated and uncultivated soil; they lift what needs to be lifted and transport what needs to be transported to get the crop from the fields to the factory.
Companies with a shared set of values tend to find each other to grow forward together. Vincent Sequeira jnr has no doubt about the value that Valtrac brings to the farm; it’s all about their legendary service delivery.
He says: “From the beginning, the personal service we received from Valtrac’s team made the difference.”
Since a Valtra T171 was demonstrated on the farm in 2008, there was no turning back. The demonstration model was promptly bought, and since then, its ranks have been supplemented with an impressive range of hard-working Valtras … and all of them are bright red.
Vincent says his father believes that the machines that run and work on the farm should all be red, and the Finnish tractor company is the only one that allows a farmer to choose what colour his tractors should be. He says even the new S series, typically released in dramatic black, must be Rugani red before it comes to the farm.
The Valtra tractors are what make the wheels turn in this farming enterprise including the versatile 6-cylinder T191, T194 and T234 tractors, the mighty S353 and S374 tractors and the nippy 4-cylinder N111 and N134s. The Valtra tractors are configured for different tasks. They sport high traction wide tyres for tillage and heavy lift mounted implements to narrow high clearance 54” tyres for working over the carrot beds. Companies with a shared set of values tend to find each other to grow forward together. Vincent Sequeira jnr has no doubt about the value that Valtrac brings to the farm; it’s all about their legendary service delivery.
With this range, all the work can be done on the three farms that make Greenway Farms the largest carrot growers in Africa. Up to 300 tonnes of carrots are harvested every day!
The three farms are at Tarlton near Krugersdorp (where the juice extraction plant is also situated), Christiana in the west and Naboomspruit in the north. The locations mean that there is production throughout the year. With operations running six days a week and often late into the night and tractors doing more than 2,000 hours per year – planned maintenance is key. By working closely with Greenway and planning work for each farm, Valtrac technicians keep the tractor services up to date and can respond to breakdowns across the locations with the correct parts.
Vincent is the man who keeps his finger on the pulse of all three farms, but he says they are in the process of decentralisation so that each farm can be run as its business unit.
“We are a family farm that has grown rapidly, and we just realised that we will have to devolve more authority to remain operationally nimble. The fact that Valtrac is also a growing family business means that we understand each other and work well together.”
Companies with a shared set of values tend to find each other to grow forward together. Vincent Sequeira jnr has no doubt about the value that Valtrac brings to the farm; it’s all about their legendary service delivery.
Valtrac understands the farming operation so well that they recommend the proper tractors for upgrading or expansion and order them to be ready and available when Greenway decides to buy.
Vincent says this kind of personal service cannot be beaten.
In addition, the Finnish tractors, with their AGCO Power engines, are very versatile. Vincent says: “We don’t need a thousand different tractors for the different tasks on the farms. The series we have can do everything.”
The tractors are reliable and built to be used all day, every day, and in the rare event of something going wrong or when a tractor needs servicing, Valtrac’s team is ready. “Another thing I can say about Valtrac is that they are not afraid to stock parts. If we need something, it is available immediately,” says Vincent. Many companies consider spare parts as dead stock, but downtime due to the unavailability of parts often spells the death knell of the relationship between farmer and supplier.
Finnish technology
All the Valtra tractors are four-wheel drive, and they perform exceptionally well, even in muddy conditions. In the irrigated fields and even after heavy rains, due to the excellent weight distribution between the axles, Valtras go where others get stuck.
The newer Valtra tractors have Valtra Connect fitted. This allows the farmer to view his tractor’s location and monitor efficiency and productivity in real-time, even on the outlying farms, making management much easier.
The Valtrac technician can also view the tractor to respond to service reminders, error codes or faults. Companies with a shared set of values tend to find each other to grow forward together. Vincent Sequeira jnr has no doubt about the value that Valtrac brings to the farm; it’s all about their legendary service delivery.
Smooth automatic gear shifting across the whole speed range enables the tractor to operate at the best speed for each task. The standard creeper speed on the Valtras maintains the slow pace of the carrot harvesters.
Another significant advantage is fuel saving, with Greenway having documented a substantial reduction in diesel usage on the Valtra tractors compared to the other brands used previously. The AGCO Power engines produce high torque at low revolutions. With the Valtra transmission and engine software being developed together in Finland, total synergy is achieved, and drive train losses are minimised.
Vincent says that although they are a specialist farm, its operations are planned to be simplistic and repetitive for better management. It remains challenging to manage 2,500 hectares under irrigation in three locations, but the same plan is followed everywhere, and the aim remains to farm with nature.
Crop rotation is practiced between carrots, wheat, wild radish and soya beans. The wild radish is incorporated into the soil just before winter for natural fumigation to combat harmful pathogens. With the soya beans’ nitrogen addition, the soil is prepared naturally for the carrots.
Vincent says there are times when they have to cultivate deeply and other times when they plant with a no-till process, and the Valtras are ready for either task.
He says the new tractors, with their comfortable Premium cabin options, are also well suited to the long working days on the farms. The dark cabin lining and leather seats keep the tractor looking and feeling new and clean, even in the red dust, which the Tarlton area is known for.
A few years ago, Vito Rugani laid down a mechanisation principle that aims for more productivity. He says there must be an ergonomic balance between man and machine, ultimately leading to better productivity. “Machines do not replace people; they make people more productive.” This is aligned with the Valtra tagline: Work smart. Live more.
Be productive with Valtra on your farm. Visit https://valtrac.co.za for more information or write to marketing@valtrac.co.za to know more about the company’s wide offering.